International officials inspect Sarasota rowing facility

The are reviewing Nathan Benderson Park's bid to host the sport's 2017 world championships

By JUSTINE GRIFFIN

They've seen the proposed contract. Now, they're kicking the tires.

Four representatives of the international rowing body charged with reviewing Nathan Benderson Park's bid to host the sport's 2017 world championships toured the site Tuesday morning by boat, the first stop on a four-day trip that will canvass the area.

At stake is a big lift to Southwest Florida's growing prominence as a center for sports tourism, along with millions of dollars in potential economic impact.

After traveling more than six time zones — from the site of this year's championship venue in South Korea to Florida — the four-member team from the Swiss-based International Federation of Rowing Associations, whose French acronym is “FISA,” is assessing everything from the park's water quality to the supply of area hotel rooms.

“We're here to check the reality of the area against the words submitted in the questionnaire,” said FISA's executive director, Matt Smith, whose organization oversees eight international events each year. “We want to see whether Nathan Benderson Park can provide a platform for a destination to a new potential audience.”

Besides Smith, there is Svetla Otzetova, an Olympic and world champion rower who has been the chief architect for every major FISA regatta course since 1992; Colleen Orsmond, a three-time Olympic rower; and Andy Couper, a sports marketing specialist with experience at IMG, the Honda Formula 1 racing team and other European sports marketing teams.

After their whirlwind tour of Southwest Florida, FISA officials will inspect the 2017 championships' other contender — Plovdiv, Bulgaria — later this spring.

They are seeing different venues in both Manatee and Sarasota counties that would host related events, from the Ringling museum to the Fete Ballroom at the Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch, said Nicole Rissler, director of sports with Visit Sarasota County, the county's tourism agency.

During their stay here, FISA members will also suggest improvements and changes to a preliminary bid package submitted to them in February.

A final bid must be made by both contenders at the end of May, along with a $26,000 fee.

Taking it all in

To begin the local inspection, FISA officials braved the 87-degree heat at the park before attending a joint Sarasota County-Manatee County commission meeting.

The FISA representatives were quick to offer ideas for improvements. An example: a bridge that could cross from the man-made regatta island to the east side of the course, connecting additional grandstands to the island where a village-styled marketplace area will be set up.

Original plans by the SunCoast Aquatic Nature Center Association, a nonprofit group made up of local tourism, government and Benderson Development officials, did not include a bridge.

Some of the FISA group, including Smith, had seen the park before. Smith said the improvements to the park since his last visit, which include the public opening of the regatta island, construction on the Cattleman Road extension and enhancements to the actual course, were “very impressive.”

He would not comment on how this region's course compares with its competitor in Plovdiv, which hosted the World Rowing Championships once already, in 2012.

Joint meeting

At the commission meeting in Sarasota, government officials presented FISA members with a proclamation that declared April 16 “World Rowing Appreciation Day.”

Smith accepted the honor by announcing they “hope to return” to the region in September 2017. First, the FISA group will return to Switzerland Thursday morning.

FISA officials went over the details of the bid package with Paul Blackketter, executive director of planning with Manatee County-based Benderson Development.

Blackketter has been promoting rowing at Nathan Benderson Park, and smaller practice grounds in the region at Blackburn Pointe Park, Bay Preserve at Osprey and Fort Hamer Park in Sarasota and Manatee counties, since 2005.

In July, members of the local nonprofit will make their case to the FISA Council on FISA's home turf. That group will then recommend either Plovdiv or Sarasota-Manatee to FISA's Congress, which votes on a winner.

Nathan Benderson Park is the only U.S. candidate for the championships, which have not been held in this country since the 1994 competition in Indianapolis.

Tim Farcnik, a consultant from Slovenia hired by SunCoast, believes that 2017 is the year that the world championships will return to America.

“This is a unique opportunity to grow the sport of rowing in the states,” said Farcnik, who helped bring the championship event to Lake Bled in Slovenia in 2011.

Farcnik was hired by SunCoast at the recommendation of FISA to assist with the bidding process. He has been to the Sarasota-Manatee area twice since January, and promotes the region at rowing events overseas.

“I, of course, think that Nathan Benderson Park has a pretty good shot at hosting this,” he said. “The more exposure the park gets in the rowing community, the more pressure we can put on FISA to see us as a true contender.”